Blue Light Is The Winner.
Not surprisingly, Blue Light Grill took the pie. Blue Light was certainly the first “high end” bar that came to Charlottesville and it seems to have kept its prestige all these years. Personally, Blue Light seems to be the default “where you go when you want a non-UVA crowd” type place, but I’ve had countless experiences that suggest otherwise. Here are my gripes with Blue Light:
It’s Getting Old: I think it’s time for a design overhaul. The painted wood booths and the bathrooms really need to be redone.
- Belligerent Drinkers: I’ve noticed that Blue Light, despite its upscale attitude, attracts quite the feisty drinkers. It’s not fun to avoid the Big Johnson-t-shirt-wearer’s quarrelsome gaze when you are just trying to order a Stella.
- Bar Implosion: Good luck finding a bar tender on a Friday or Saturday night. The layout is conducive to long waits for drinks (which is maybe why it’s the best singles scene according to our readers).
For the folks who voted “Outside, Not in a Bar,” Where Are You Talking About?
My jaw dropped. Where on earth do you meet people outside and not in a bar? Are you talking Salsa classes, sports clubs, church, “the park,” or what? Since 19% of you voted for not in a bar, I expect massive amounts of commentary.
For a breakdown of the results, check out the chart below:
Thanks for voting and let us know your thoughts!
Popularity: 6% [?]
Tagged as: Bars, Charlottesville, Cocktails, Dates, Gripes, Late Night, Polls, Restaurants, Restaurants/Bars, Singles Scene
Blue light has really digressed into an “amateur night” sort of scene later at night and I think your comments re: Belligerent drinkers speak to this. Honestly, it is hard to have a conversation with someone when the drunks around you are yelling “How many more shots of Patron do we need!?!”
Oooh Patron. Anyway, I went to Blue Light tonight and was impressed to find a –gasp– Ten-circa-January crowd, as opposed to… what Thor said. To address Thor’s “outside” question, the following is a list of places where I have actually met eligible bachelors, and where eligible bachelorettes can also be found:
- Salsa dancing lessons (yes! at Down Under, yes, the Outback Lounge… this was, I should clarify, about three years ago, but regardless)
- Match.com (don’t act like you haven’t opened an account to “peruse”)
- Neighbor (or if you go to UVA, “dormcest”)
- Wintergreen (long ski lifts to nowhere)
- Airplane (lot of time to talk!)
- Restaurant (here’s my tip, and my phone number)
- Weddings (DUH)
- Travel (aka one night stand)
- Blind dates (what do we have to lose?)
For me, outside means Fridays After Five and concerts.
I first came to town when the Pavilion was opening. I went to the show with the one person in town that I knew. I easily met 150 people that night through that one person…including a guy who became my boyfriend.
I guess I find concerts one of the best places to meet people. Right from the start, you know you have something in common!
A literal reading! How a propos. I like it.
[…] gonna be out and about Downtown, probably at Blue Light (oh well), but having fun […]
Wheres the meat market known as Orbit?
The places I have met lovers and love buddies (or “lubs”) in C-ville are (in order of least to most frequent):
8 Five Guys
7 In my own house (roommate) or apt complex (pool)
6 216
5 House parties
4 Work
3 In class (duh, ez)
2 MySpace
1 Extracurriculars
I don’t really go to bars to meet new people. When I try, I find I feel a LOT of pressure. I get self-conscious, which I normally am NOT. I’ve kinda given up on that already, and just go to bars to enjoy dancing and drinking with friends I already have. But when I have some level of comfort in the situation, I’m golden. I’m so money, and I DO know it.
Outside of Cville? On vacations I push much weight. wow. when I vacate without my parents, especially to foreign countries, it’s like I have a neon sign on my forehead that says “Open for Dirty Business.”
wow…i’m a slut. No! j/k Stay back, hungry men! I can’t feed all of you…
/hits hipster doofus with stick
ahahaha
whatchoo laughin at?
/hey! that hurt. does first in line mean nothing anymore?
hmmm. must be spring… Uva LaGrape is pulling up all these mating topics.
Personally, I think that Blue Light is at the top of the list for Worst Bars in Charlottesville. The place stinks like a deep fryer, the bartenders aren’t up to snuff, the people who frequent the bar can be real ass-clowns, and on and on and on. It seems to me that if your going to Blue Light for some action you might as well be going to Coupe’s on the corner. You single folks need to branch out and find some new spots.
As DeBarge once said, Time (and Thor) Will Reveal in time
LaGrape, I’m always impressed you bring up old, but good posts. Good hunting!
@12: Once again we agree. This is getting weird.
I’m very surprised that 216 is not at the top of this list. The combination of MD 20/20, 3:34 or :35am, and an 11-minute remix of “You Make Me Feel Mighty Real” can lead to an orgiastic energy.
I meet guys through Tuffy. Thanks dude.
I really dislike Blue Light. I tolerate it when I’m with a smoker and for some reason (like extreme weather) we don’t feel like hauling ass all the way down to C&O (the vastly superior smoker hangout). But for that one aspect, I’d never set foot in there. Clarence nailed the reasons why.
Being semi-new to town, I heart Blue Light. There isn’t really any other place filled with so many people my age. Except of course South Street on Tuesdays.
That list was compiled pre OXO/Cassis late-night, run it again and I don’t think Blue Light takes the top spot anymore. Plus I’m surprised Satellite isn’t on there, I used to meet lots of girls at shows at Trax/Starr Hill…
Yea, Mas is far more popular than that chart lets on. The place is ALWAYS PACKED!
How come nobody mentioned the gym? Helloooo!!!!
REEEEEE-POLL!
It’s been 10 months, let re-do this poll
shebennigans: what’s your gym game like? I feel the same way in gyms I do in bars: too self-conscious to be effective. The only time I’ve felt in my comfort zone at a gym was when I taught a class. How do you approach guys?
I don’t approach them, I just check out their butts. And I wear tiny shorts. They can come to moi.
I tend to be guilty of checking out the tiny shorts at the gym. But I hope I’m not obvious, because I don’t want to be thought of as that dirty guy who looks at all the girls butts. Goddamnit, they are so nice and shapely, and it is downright hard not to look sometimes.
I don’t think I could put the mack on anyone at the gym though, i’m all sweaty and stinky and even though my BICEPS ARE ENORMOUS and my glutes are like TWO FINE HAMS, I kind of shy away from socializing too much at the gym.
i’m a grown-ass woman shemannequins…so I know that the checking-out of the butt is a strong first move on your part. Well met. That glance is your version of an approach. I like it. For me though, I get too caught up in paying attention to what I’m doing. I find myself annoyed when I’m hit on because I’m trying to get out of there as fast as possible because half the the things I do I don’t enjoy. I just do them because I don’t wanna be lopsided. I’m kinda in the same mode as when I’m at work or in class. Focussed. Lea’ me ‘lone. I’m workin’.
Nah ah. I just appreciate a nice male ass. No approaching necessary. Of course, I picture running up and biting it in my head but that is neither here nor there.
oh my dear. the female approach differs from the male approach. We approach with eye energy, lifting our prey with jedi mons trick. Men literally approach. They walk close to us in response to the Windsong we’ve whispered into their minds. They can’t seem to forget you, Shen’s Windsong stays on their minds.
Then later that night they masturb their bait to thought of your Windsong-brand gym shorts. Mebbe stick their finger twixt their 2 hams for extra Friday night pleasure. Happy weekending.
Ohhhhhh! I’m out of here!
My pleasure, Nanny-G. I’m a bit of a manpimp.
I told ya I was trouble. You know that I’m no good.
I found Oy’s favorite spot to pick up singles. Does the daughter’s birthday party angle work for ya, big guy?
@33 you mean picking up chicks, don’t you
Ooops, ‘course
what about the Cafeteria?
let’s get a new poll…
contenders thus far seem to be:
the gym, escafe, oxo/cassis, blue light(with a potentially heated debate), satellite/music venue/”show”, mas…
personally, over the years, long or short term keepers seem to have come from:
michael’s bistro, house parties, music venue/shows…/heavy emphasis on the last- but that probably has more to do with where i spend my time…
What about the greyhound bus station? Or the airport? At least there you could theoretically meet someone who has not become a jaded pile of psychotic ex’s cville social flotsam and jetsam. Ah, who am I kidding. I will get back into my closet now.
how about San Diego or Chicago? oh wait… I guess thats not in CVILLE… damnit…
[…] What is your favorite restaurant in Charlottesville? That is a really hard question to answer because cville has so many great restaurants. Andrew does a great job at Zo.Ca.Lo. Brian delivers a great concept at Petit Pois. If I am in the mood for steak, no question its the Downtown Grill. That is the closest you can get to a big city steak house. For calamari, I love Bang! and Bluelight. […]